Thoughts on Roker, ‘24,’ Baskett

January 20, 2009

By Kevin Wilson: Freedom New Mexico columnist

Some rambling thoughts I had while wondering whether the Teen Wolf would have played college ball or entered the NBA draft:

• One of the stranger aspects of the presidential inauguration was the news coverage. As I watched television coverage Tuesday morning, I couldn’t help but see news team members in coverage areas they don’t normally see. Al Roker, normally the weather man for “Today,” was a correspondent from the parade route. Maybe it’s my fault, but I kept on waiting for Roker to break from parade route conversation to tell me what sweet lady is turning 100 today or for him to sign out by saying, “And here’s how the inauguration’s going in your neck of the woods.”

• I am now the owner of a T-shirt that reads, “Single = Lots of chicks. Not single = One chick. Do the math.” I’m not sure what was funnier in the checkout line — the laugh I got from the guy in front of me when he saw the shirt, or the laugh I got from his wife when I said, “A girl I’m dating said I could buy the shirt.”

• The show “24” is back for its seventh season, after the writers’ strike created a one-year hiatus. Five episodes in, news networks have used the show and agent Jack Bauer’s history of torturing terrorists as literary evidence that torture must work. I’m not going to hold my breath on those same news programs mentioning the show has already brought up the counter-arguments. Torture can result in bad information — Sen. John McCain has often repeated that while in captivity, “Pressed for more useful information, I gave the names of the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line, and said they were members of my squadron.” Also, torturing citizens of other countries tells those countries it’s OK to torture our troops.

• Now that the Super Bowl matchup is set, I’ve got to wonder how many new Arizona Cardinals fans I’m going to be meeting in the next two weeks. One thing I don’t wonder about is the best receiver in football. Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald settled that argument Sunday.

• Since the Cardinals ended the season for the Philadelphia Eagles, it makes me wonder where unrestricted free agent and Clovis native Hank Baskett will end up. I imagine he’ll look for a team that needs a quality receiver. I imagine he’ll seek a team that doesn’t have an ongoing quarterback controversy. I imagine all of these things, but I know Baskett will probably sign with the team that offers the biggest contract — and I don’t fault him one bit. The opportunity to be an NFL player is fleeting, and you don’t want to end a career leaving millions on the table. And with an NFC championship field of two teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year, it’s easy to argue that any team Baskett signs with has a chance to play in and even win a Super Bowl. I, however, reserve the right to change my mind if Hank’s holding up a Detroit Lions jersey a few months from now.

Kevin Wilson is a columnist for Freedom New Mexico. He can be contacted at 763-3431, ext. 313, or by e-mail: kevin_wilson@link.freedom.com